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Posts Tagged “U.S. Apple Association”

Falls Church, VA — How do you like your daily apple? Do you slice a crisp Fuji at lunchtime and dip it in a side of nut butter? Perhaps you end your day on a sweet note with a warm piece of apple crumble? This apple season, USApple wants to know how consumers enjoy their #AppleADay.

During National Apple Month (Oct.) and through Nov. 3, USApple is taking to social media encouraging individuals to share comments, posts, pictures and videos answering how they take their #AppleADay. Each person who shares how they #AppleADay on the USApple.org website through an online form, or on social media with the #AppleADay hashtag enters to win gift cards or industry prizes.

From sliced to sauced, from blended to baked, as a morning meal or mid-night snack, USApple seeks to create the world’s longest list of ways to enjoy an #AppleADay. Individuals can submit their reasons a usapple.org/appleaday.

Responses to date include:

“I make crockpot baked apples.”

“Straight from the tree.”

“Every day with some cheese and crackers.”

“Apple slices, almond butter, cinnamon and oats.”

“I use it in my smoothies with avocados.”

“I always eat a fresh apple at lunch every day and apple crisp at least once a week. Apples are a staple in our house no matter which way we fix it.”

“Our industry and the broader wellness community are always encouraging people to eat an apple a day, and an apple a day can look different for everyone,” said Korenna Wilson, Director of Consumer Health and Media Relations, USApple. “We want to spend peak harvest season engaging with consumers online to see just how people enjoy their favorite apples and show that it’s far from boring, or the same. Our growing list will give all of us new ideas to fit in that apple a day.”

About USApple

U.S. Apple Association is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 40 state and regional associations representing the 7,500 apple growers throughout the country, as well as more than 400 individual firms involved in the apple business. More information on the organization is available at USApple.org.

Vienna, VA – Floundering on New Year’s resolutions? Need an excuse to get back on track? February is American Heart Month and the perfect time for a reset. The U.S. Apple Association agrees and recommends starting each day with apples, a habit proven by multiple studies to combat many of the factors that contribute to heart disease.

“People who regularly eat apples and apple products are more likely to have lower blood pressure, trimmer waistlines and reduced levels of oxidized LDL – the bad cholesterol,” said Korenna Wilson, Director, Consumer Health, USApple. “This year marks the first time the U.S. life expectancy has dropped in decades. There’s a renewed urgency to prevent heart disease, and incorporating apples into a regular diet is just one small step we can all take now.”

“An Apple Smoothie Bowl, a new spin on the traditional morning power drink, is not only heart healthy, it’s filling and packed with energy. This recipe stars apples, bananas, granola and kale, but the fruit and vegetable combinations are endless,” Wilson added.

“Apple Smoothie Bowls”

Developed by the Seaside Baker on behalf of USApple

Makes 1 large smoothie or two small smoothie bowls

Ingredients

1/2 small apple, cut in quarters-seeds and stem removed

3/4 cup chopped kale, ribs and thick stems removed

1/2 banana

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup ice

Granola

Sliced apple and other fruit for garnish

Prep

Combine first 5 ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth.

U.S. Apple Association is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 40 state and regional associations representing the 7,500 apple growers throughout the country, as well as more than 400 individual firms involved in the apple business. More information on the organization is available at USApple.org.

Here are shipping updates on for Northwest potato shipments starting soon, as well as U.S apple shipments that are winding down before the new crop is ready.

Potato shipments from the Northwest could get underway a week or more earlier than usual this season.

Unlike a year ago when drought and triple digit heat was hitting potato fields, weather this year has been much more favorable. Columbia Basin potato shipments from Washington and Oregon should get underway in late July. That’s a significant change from last year when both potatoes and tree fruits suffered from heat stress.

While estimates have not yet been released on projected volume many see similar volume to last year and probably more. Because of great growing conditions there are concerns of oversupply as shipments take off in August and September.

The great growing conditions in the Northwest includes Idaho, easily the nation’s largest potato shipper.

For Washington’s Skagit Valley potatoes, one of the later starting regions in the Pacific Northwest, is expected to start earlier this year. Harvesting could begin as early as August 15th. For the past few years, Labor Day has been a more typical kickoff.

Apple Shipments

About 238 million bushels of U.S.-grown apples were grown in the U.S. in 2015, 12% fewer the current season that is winding down in the next month or so.

The July estimate, the last one of the 2015-16 season from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, was also 1% lower than the five-year average and 2% lower than a preseason estimate, according to an analysis of the data by the Vienna, Va.-based U.S. Apple Association.

The estimate was higher, however, than the 235 million bushels forecasted at U.S. Apple’s 2015 annual marketing conference.

Shipments by industry leader Washington fell from 174 million last season to 142 million bushels this season.

Washington’s 2015 total was also 4% below the five-year average, and 8.3 million bushels lower than the 2015 USDA preseason estimate.

Shipments from industry No. 3 Michigan also fell, from 24.4 million to 23.7 million bushels. That was 3% less than last year but 14% above the five-year average and comparable to the preseason USDA estimate.

The second and fourth largest U.S. shippers, New York and Pennsylvania, both saw volumes increase in 2015.

New York jumped from 30.8 million to 32.4 million bushels, Pennsylvania from 11.7 million to 12.4 million bushels.

New York’s total was 5% above last season and 13% above the five-year average, Pennsylvania’s 5% above last season and 7% above the five-year average.

The final USDA estimate for New York was 6.2 million bushels, or 24%, higher than its 2015 preseason estimate.

It seems that there is some truth in the old saying: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” A recent release by U.S. Apple Association (USApple), shows that eating apples can help fight the factors that contribute to heart disease, the leading cause of death globally.

The release provides evidence from research that shows the benefits of eating apples:

An Ohio State University study recently found that eating an apple a day for four weeks lowered blood levels of oxidized LDL the bad cholesterol by 40%.

A University of Oxford (UK) study found that eating an apple once a day may be just as beneficial as daily statin use when it comes to preventing vascular deaths in individuals over 50.

A University of Florida study found eating two apples a day reduced LDL by 23%.

U.S. researcher’s report that for every 10 grams of fiber consumed per day the risk of developing heart disease may decrease 14 percent, and the risk of dying from heart disease may decrease 27 percent. They also found that fiber from fruits appeared to be slightly more protective than cereal fiber, lowering the risk of coronary disease death by 30 percent.

The roller coaster ride of Western desert lettuce volume has steadied in recent weeks. More consistent loading opportunities will hopefully continue the rest of the season from Yuma and the Imperial Valley.

Lettuce shipments should remain in good volume until around April 1st, before a seasonal decline ends the season by mid April. At this point lettuce shipments will shift to Huron, CA for about three weeks before heading into the Salinas spring season.

Yuma lettuce and other vegetables – grossing about $4700 to Atlanta.

Chilean Fruit Imports

Central Chile has recently had relative humidity levels not seen in many years, leading to further losses for table grape growers. Recent rains have resulted in losses of 30 percent for Flames (red grapes) and Superiors (green grapes) in the area. Three years ago when this happened there was a lof of rot with grapes.

Normally there would be humidity of 20-40 perecent, instead of 80 percent.

This means a large amount of fruit will not meet export standards for lacking quality standards.

Apple Shipments

About 75.3 million bushels of U.S.-grown fresh-market apples had yet to be shipped as of February 1, 21 percent less than last year at the same time.

The February total was also one percent lower than the five-year average, according to the February Market News report from the Vienna, Va.-based U.S. Apple Association.

Washington accounted for 64.9 million bushels of the February 1 apples remaining in storage. New York had 4.2 million bushels, Michigan 3.4 million bushels and Pennsylvania 1.1 million bushels.

A new study, called Fruit Consumption by Youth in the United States, published in the online journal Pediatrics, surveyed more than 3,100 youth from ages two to 19 years, examining fruit consumption and differences by age, gender, race and poverty status.

The study found that nearly 90% of total fruit intake came from whole fruits (53%) and 100% fruit juice (34%), according to the study. Apples, apple juice, citrus juice and bananas make up about half of total fruit consumption, according to the study.

Fresh apples accounted for 18.9% of total fruit consumption among children, according to the study, and apple juice accounted for about 10%.

“This is fantastic news,” said Wendy Brannen. director of consumer health and education for the U.S. Apple Association, Vienna, Va. “The great thing about this study that has come out in Pediatrics magazine is that it has been repeated everywhere from CNN to U.S. News and World Report to local and regional morning shows from Chattanooga to New York City, and the exposure for us is priceless.”

Brannen said the study, which has been covered by dozens of media outlets since it recently came out, will encourage families to consume more apples.

The study said apple juice accounted for 16.8% of fruit consumption for children ages two to five years, but that fell to 8.8% for children six to 11 years old. On the other hand, fresh apples represented 22.4% of fruit consumption for children six to 11 years old, but just 8.8% of total fruit consumed for two- to five-year-olds.

Apple shipments from New York and Ontario should be normal volume this season. However, apple loadings out of New England could show a double digit increase.

The U.S. Apple Association says New England’s six-state harvest is expected to be about 14 percent higher than last year’s and 18 percent above the region’s five-year average. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service estimates total New England apple shipments will come in at just under 170 million pounds. The estimate is for the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.

New York Apples

A lot, if not the majority of New York’s apple shipments originate from the Hudson Valley and Western New York. The Empire State has shipped about 30 million bushels of apples every year for the last several years. Total volume for the 2015-16 season are expected to be close to the five-year average.

The harvest in New York started in late-August and continues through early-November,

Extreme cold last winter damaged some trees and forced a later spring in Ontario, but growers in the Georgian Bay region still anticipate average crops this year. However, that isn’t the case in all parts of the province.

Ontario normally produces about 7-million bushels of apples annually, but this year it’s estimated the crop will be about 4-million. Harvest is now underway.

Produce truckers will once again have plenty of opportunities to haul another large apple crop this season…Also, here’s a brief roundup of what appears will be a record cherry shipping season coming to an end.

The third largest shipments of U.S. apples on record is expected for the 2014-15 season, which recently started.

The U.S. Apple Association is is predicting total U.S. apple shipments will be 263.8 million 42-pound cartons, which is very close to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s estimate, also released in August, which was 259.2 million.

Estimates from individual regions are: 174.3 million 42-pound units from the west (compared to 174.5 million from the USDA estimate) 55.9 million in the east (54.4 from the USDA) and 33.6 million in the Midwest (30.3 million from the USDA). Washington, the largest producing state, has an estimated production of 162 million 42-pound units for overall production. The industry has cited 140.2 million units as an anticipated fresh pack this year.

Cherry Shipments

Northwest cherry shipments, which are nearing the end of the season, could have record loadings . As of August 18, shippers were on pace to ship 23.4 million boxes of fruit, which would break the 2012 record of 23.1 million cartons. The revised estimate is up from pre-season estimates of more than 22 million boxes.

Vienna, VA – Apples routinely top grocery lists for a variety of tasty reasons. Beyond the plethora of varieties and apple products to be enjoyed, apples pack a nutritious punch, providing a daily dose of health benefits.

“American consumers can be confident when eating or serving apples—whether organic or conventional—that they are enjoying a safe, nutritious, healthy and delicious home-grown food produced with pride by the U.S. apple growers and the apple industry,” said Wendy Brannen, Director of Consumer Health and Public Relations for U.S. Apple Association (USApple). “Apples are a super food found in every supermarket – and it is no wonder numerous health organizations, including the Surgeon General, the American Cancer Society and the American Dietetic Association, encourage greater consumption of fruits and vegetables—like apples and apple products.”
The U.S. Apple Association offers the following Delicious Dozen – 12 proven ways apples and apple products positively impact health, from head to toe and from the inside out:

1. Brain Health
Researchers from Cornell University found that apple nutrients protected brain neurons against oxidative damage. Such damage can contribute to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The study highlighted the antioxidant quercetin as a principle compound responsible for the protective effect (Journal of Food Science, 2004, 69: S357-S360).

2. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
A University of Massachusetts-Lowell clinical trial showed that drinking apple juice significantly improved mood and behavior among a group of patients diagnosed with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease. Cornell University research also suggests that quercetin may be the compound in apples that protects brain cells against oxidative stress associated with Alzheimer’s.

3. Heart Health
An Ohio State University study recently found that eating an apple a day for four weeks lowered blood levels of oxidized LDL, the bad cholesterol, by 40 percent. A University of Florida study found eating two apples a day reduced LDL by 23%.

4. Respiratory System
A National Institutes of Health study reports that foods rich in fiber and flavonoids, found abundantly in apples, may reduce chronic productive cough and other respiratory symptoms (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med, 2004, 170: 279-287).

5. Asthma
Research from the United Kingdom reports children of mothers who eat apples during pregnancy are much less likely to exhibit symptoms of asthma at age five. Apples were the only food found to have a positive association with a reduced risk of asthma among a variety of foods consumed and recorded (Thorax, 2007, 62:745-746).

6. Digestive Health
University of Denmark researchers discovered apples and apple products could boost intestinal health by increasing the numbers of good gut bacteria. The friendly bacteria in the intestines feed on apple pectin, a fiber found abundantly in apples (BMC Microbiology 2010, 10:13).

7. Bone Health
A study published in the November 2010 online edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that older women who eat plenty of fruits, including apples and apple products, along with vegetables and whole grains, may have a lower chance of bone fractures than those not getting their fill.

8. Muscle Strength
A natural compound found in the apple’s skin, called ursolic acid, may help prevent muscle wasting that can result from aging and illness (Cell Metabolism, 2011, 13 (6): 627-638).

9. Weight Management or Weight Loss
State University of Rio de Janeiro researchers studying the impact of fruit intake on weight loss found that overweight women who ate the equivalent of three apples a day lost more weight on a low-calorie diet than women who didn’t eat the fiber-rich fruit (Nutrition, 2003, 19: 253-256).

11. Immune System
Soluble fiber, like apple pectin, may reduce the inflammation associated with obesity-related diseases and strengthen the immune system, according to a University of Illinois study (Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 2010, in press/available online).

12. Certain types of Cancer, like Breast, Pancreatic, Colon or Liver, Prostate, and Colorectal
Apples are rich in antioxidants, especially quercetin, which have been identified to help inhibit cancer onset and cell proliferation. In one study, the more apples per day individuals ate, the less likely they were to develop colorectal cancer. The anti-cancer effect was seen even when an individual had a low total consumption of fruits and vegetables but consumed at least an apple a day (European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2010, 19(1):42-47).
For more information or to read about additional studies on the health benefits of apples and apple products, visit www.USApple.org.

About US Apple

The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 40 state and regional associations representing the 7,500 apple growers throughout the country, as well as more than 400 individual firms involved in the apple business. More information on the organization is available at www.USApple.org.

Eating an apple a day might in fact help keep the cardiologist away, according to research from Ohio State University.

In a study of healthy, middle-aged adults, consumption of one apple a day for four weeks lowered by 40 percent blood levels of a substance linked to hardening of the arteries.

Taking capsules containing polyphenols, a type of antioxidant found in apples, had a similar, but not as large, effect.

The study, funded by an apple industry group, found that the apples lowered blood levels of oxidized LDL — low-density lipoprotein, the “bad” cholesterol. When LDL cholesterol interacts with free radicals to become oxidized, the cholesterol is more likely to promote inflammation and can cause tissue damage.

“When LDL becomes oxidized, it takes on a form that begins atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries,” lead researcher Robert DiSilvestro, professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University and a researcher at the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center, said in a press release. “We got a tremendous effect against LDL being oxidized with just one apple a day for four weeks.”

The difference was similar to that found between people with normal coronary arteries versus those with coronary artery disease, he said

The study is published online in the Journal of Functional Foods and will appear in a future print edition.

DiSilvestro described daily apple consumption as significantly more effective at lowering oxidized LDL than other antioxidants he has studied, including the spice-based compound curcumin, green tea and tomato extract.

“Not all antioxidants are created equal when it comes to this particular effect,” he said.

DiSilvestro first became interested in studying the health effects of eating an apple a day after reading a Turkish study that found such a regimen increased the amount of a specific antioxidant enzyme in the body.

In the end, his team didn’t find the same effect on the enzyme, but was surprised at the considerable influence the apples had on oxidized LDL.

For the study, the researchers recruited nonsmoking healthy adults between the ages of 40 and 60 who had a history of eating apples less than twice a month and who didn’t take supplements containing polyphenols or other plant-based concentrates.

In all, 16 participants ate a large Red or Golden Delicious apple purchased at a Columbus-area grocery store daily for four weeks; 17 took capsules containing 194 milligrams of polyphenols a day for four weeks; and 18 took a placebo containing no polyphenols. The researchers found no effect on oxidized LDLs in those taking the placebo.

The study also found eating apples had some effects on antioxidants in saliva, which has implications for dental health, DiSilvestro said. He hopes to follow up on that finding in a future study.

The study was conducted as a master’s thesis by graduate student Shi Zhao, and was funded by a grant from the U.S. Apple Association/Apple Product Research and Education Council and a donation from Futureceuticals Inc. of Momence, IL.

Also involved in the study were associate professor Joshua Bomser and research associate Elizabeth Joseph, both in the Department of Human Nutrition, which is housed in the university’s College of Education and Human Ecology.

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Hollister, CA – Berry People has announced the start of its organic strawberry season from Baja California in Mexico, having recently completed a successful first year of operations. These top-quality strawberries,… Read full story →

Texas produce growers are currently harvesting and shipping melons, citrus and other crops to supermarkets mostly throughout the Eastern half of the country. When the Lone Star State producers of… Read full story →